Ok, so chocolate doesn’t really make me nervous, but it used to. When I was a little girl, I used to always say that to my parents. I don’t really know what I meant by that, probably that it looked too tempting to resist. In that case, I haven’t changed a bit. I’m one of those people who considers chocolate a daily nutritional requirement. I’ll have chocolate in my breakfast and my dessert… and let me tell you, dessert is a must.

So, I figured it would be appropriate for me to start my baking blog with my only chocolate chip cookie recipe. I say only not because I haven’t baked many others (believe me I have), but because once I made this recipe, there was no turning back. Why mess with perfection? Now I should probably put a warning label here: If you’re one of those thin, crunchy cookie fans, STOP READING NOW. These will not be the cookies for you. However, if thick, chewy cookies loaded with a plethora of chocolate chips sounds like your cup of tea, read on.

This recipe calls for dark chocolate chips, because I am a whole-hearted believer that the darker the chocolate, the better. What about you? For those who prefer semisweet, feel free to use them instead. I have also tried incorporating ground coffee beans for a note of espresso flavor or cinnamon for all you cinnamon lovers out there. Either way makes for a great cookie, but they are equally delicious without any add-ins.

Melt your stick of butter in the microwave, by 30 second increments until completely melted. Let sit to cool while you mix the dry ingredients.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, whisking together lightly.

3. In a standing mixer, combine the melted butter and sugars. Beat at medium to high speed for 2-3 minutes. Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and ground coffee beans or cinnamon (if using either). Beat at medium speed for about 2 minutes.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet, and stir (beat on lowest speed) until just combined. Add chocolate chips and stir in by hand, being sure to thoroughly incorporate the chocolate chips throughout the batter since there is a large amount of chips used in the recipe.

4. Spoon the batter with an ice-cream scoop onto two lined baking sheets. You should get about 18 cookies. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, switching and rotating halfway through the baking time. The cookies should look rather firm when done (not gooey), but not at all browned. Allow to cool and enjoy!